Vincent Cavanagh – Anathema

Anathema are one of those bands you can listen to any time of any day and no matter what mood you’re in, they’ll always make you feel at peace with yourself and the world. The Liverpool rockers have been around since the 90’s and keep getting better with each passing year and album. Metal Obsession were delighted to catch up with one of the founding members of the band, vocalist and guitarist Vincent Cavanagh, ahead of their Australian tour, for an in-depth chat into the world of Anathema and all that it entails.                     

“We’re definitely excited”, Vincent said excitedly about the band’s upcoming Australian shows. “It’s funny, because I think my overriding memory of Australia is meeting a lot of different, fun, people who were really laid back and easy to talk to. They were welcoming and it really did feel like familiar territory so we’re looking forward to it. We’re also hoping to see a little bit more of the country this time around.”

Anathema’s music is a portal to another world – the same can be said about their acoustic side. Vincent mentioned what inspired the idea of Anathema creating an acoustic sound. ” We’ll try anything if it makes sense musically and if it’s a valid musical experiment. The way we do the acoustics involves loop samplers and special effects playing multiple instruments at once and you have to adapt your songs to that kind of environment so it’s like your songs are getting a second chance which is both exciting and challenging.” The responses, unsurprisingly have been nothing but positive to these special performances. “It’s more intimate which certainly makes it more special”, he continues. “The level of communication between the band and the audience is more in tune because the big bombast of a live rock show is stripped away and you’re left with an environment where you can hear a pin drop or the sounds of a congregational choir. There’s something different every night at every gig. Also, the stage banter between me and Danny is more than usual – in fact, you can’t shut us up.”

Having recently completed their resonance tour Anathema revisited their whole back catalogue of ingenious tunes which was a definite nostalgia trip for them. ” It was great but for me the best part about it was hanging out with Duncan and Darren again. They’re hilarious guys and really nice people as well – it was great to acknowledge the big role they’ve played in our records and to recognize them as friends and brothers. It was a nice way to honour them, the friendship and love we share and of course the music. Also, musically to go back that far to many many years ago – I remember in the rehearsal room when we came to doing Darren’s material and at that point i hadn’t played those rhythm guitar parts for so many years, it was like back to being to a kid. The bizarre thing  was I didn’t do any research or homework or any practice for that matter but once I started playing the riffs, the rest just flows – it’s almost like you’re on autopilot.”

Over the years, Anathema have time and again proved that they are not afraid to experiment and try new things musically and their latest offering, ‘Distant Satellites’ which released last year is proof enough of their versatility. “It’s never contrived because if you force yourself to change that could become contrived in itself. It’s just something that motivates us, part of who we are and it’s in our DNA.  We’ve always tried new things and that’s never changed even though the music may have, our attitude hasn’t. We’re much more open to experimentation now as we build up our knowledge of other equipment and techniques.”

So does that mean more experimentation on the next Anathema release? One wonders. ” Well, I would think so yes,” pondered Vincent, ” Experimentation and being clever is all fine and good, but then we need to remember to keep the melody because that’s where it all comes back home. Our education of music as children was The Beatles, Queen and bands with huge hooks, melodies and massive choruses – that kind of thing is exactly what we’re into. For instance, a song like ‘Untouchable’ is testament to the core aspect of our music, especially the emotion it brings out. I feel that’s one of the things that sets us apart and makes us what we are so we always make sure that’s there. I don’t like music that makes me rub me chin and go ‘hmmm I’ve never quite thought about that before’ – what the f***s the point, you want music that completely gets you, that’s the whole point of rock and roll.”

Anathema’s incredibly beautiful lyrical content has always drawn me in and coupled with such otherworldly music, comes close to putting you in some sort of trance. “That’s a great way of describing it! There’s a lot of different things that inspire us and our music – nature is certainly a big part of that inspiration, especially on Weather Systems. On that album, the lyrics for the most part are metaphorical – like the ‘storms of the mind’. However, dreams, life and experience are generally the biggest things you go through as an individual. These are the things that impact the majority of people in one way or another.”

The band will continue their run of Cathedral shows after Australia having already done one in the UK, ” Yes, in fact right after Australia, we start our tour of cathedrals in Europe from Manchester and go into France, Holland, Germany, Bulgaria and a few other countries. It’s certainly going to be an amazing experience
it is depending on the cathedral, they’re all different. I think Liverpool Cathedral was one of my favourites, such a  cavernous space but every Cathedral is special so it’s really something I’m looking forward to.”

25 is the number of years this lot have been together creating masterpieces. “Has it? I don’t know!” Vincent explained how, for Anathema, all that really truly matters is the music. “When we first started out, we were just kids. We didn’t have any proper gear – Danny had a guitar and we had two drumsticks. So what we did with of the first things we ever recorded was we would actually play drums on the sofa, and used a crushed magazine for the snare. We’d make joke songs, like Monty Python type music. These days it’s all relative” he continued which had me intrigued. “To be honest, we create the music purely for ourselves there’s a fine line  between when your music becomes entertainment and its not yours anymore. Right up till the last second when the album is mastered and delivered to the company and there is nothing else you can do to it – that’s when it’s not ours anymore. What that means is, we do it our way without any external influences or expectations or without taking into consideration what’s popular. All of these things are obstacles to your creativity and to our own creative process. We immerse ourselves in it completely so our only objective is to just finish it, really. The moment we know there’s nothing else we would do to change the record, we’re done. That’s when you become bulletproof. Personally I feel we have high standards with our music so all we’re trying to do is beat what we’ve done before – when  you’re not in competition with anyone else, you can’t lose.” Wise words.

Vincent and co are truly excited to be heading back to our country, ” We can’t wait to see what kind of experiences the Australian and New Zealand tours will bring us. Expect a lot of energy, fun – you’ll get to know the band a little bit more and you’ll get to see sides of who we really are. Every night will certainly be different because it depends on the venue, where we are, the audience – each show is guaranteed to be special and unique. See you there!”

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